Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva: Boxing Odds, Prediction
Jake Paul returns to the boxing ring as the YouTube star continues his quest to be taken seriously as a boxer by facing…a 47-year-old former UFC fighter. Anderson Silva was once feared in the octagon, but the former UFC middleweight champion has very little experience in the boxing ring.
Paul vs. Silva, scheduled for Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona, will be contested over eight rounds at catchweight (187 pounds). Paul is a -149 favourite to win on the boxing odds, while Silva is a +110 underdog.
Jake Paul Boxing Odds
Paul’s stats objectively look impressive as he’s won all five of his professional bouts, with knockouts in four. Consider his opponents, however. He’s faced another YouTube star in AnEsonGib, a former NBA player in Nate Robinson and a retired UFC fighter in Ben Askren, with the legitimacy of the Askren fight still questioned.
“The Problem Child” did take a step up in competition in his last two fights. He beat former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley by split decision in August 2021 and won by sixth-round knockout in the rematch four months later. While much gets made of Paul cherrypicking opponents he knows he can beat (full disclosure, I’ve also harped on him for that), he does have some legitimate strengths, particularly a powerful right hand that punished Woodley last December.
Paul’s best strategy in this fight is to exploit his biggest advantage, which is age. The 25-year-old is 22 years younger than Silva, who is well past his athletic prime. Paul will likely press Silva early and aim to end this fight by knockout. Say what you will about Paul, the YouTuber has dedicated himself to boxing and could be seen as a legit fighter if he just takes on a current professional boxer who is in their prime.
Anderson Silva Boxing Odds
Silva was once considered the most dangerous fighter on the planet. The Brazilian is a former UFC middleweight champion and holds the record for longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. He put together a monstrous 16-fight win streak in that six year period, with the majority of those fights ending by knockout.
“The Spider” has only fought four professional boxing matches (three wins, one loss), with two of those fights coming before 2006. After being released from his UFC contract in November 2020, Silva turned his attention back to boxing. The 47-year-old defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by split decision in June 2021. He also beat UFC legend Tito Ortiz with a dominating first-round knockout in September 2021.
A majority 23 of Silva’s 34 career MMA victories were knockouts, but keep in mind many of those came by knees, elbows and kicks, which will obviously be off-limits on Saturday. The real question for Silva is what is left in the tank? Approaching 50-years-old, Silva only managed one win in his final nine UFC fights from 2013 to 2020. Age, injuries and surgeries have taken a big toll on the Spider.
Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Boxing Prediction
This fight is simply going to come down to age. If it were a UFC bout, Silva would easily submit the YouTuber, but Paul has proven he’s dangerous enough to handle himself in the boxing ring. The best value is a Paul win by KO/TKO at +305.
